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Leased Lines and Ethernet FAQs
0845 058 9000
We recognise that you need to take into account many different factors when deciding on what type of leased line to have installed. Below are a list of questions you frequently ask us - these will be added to and updated on an ongoing basis. Simply click on each question to reveal the corresponding answer.
What is a leased line?
What is a lease line?
Why would I need a leased line?
What speeds are available with a Leased Line from Zen?
How long will a leased line service take to install?
We have fibre at our premises; can this be used for the leased line service?
Can the leased line service be upgraded?
What equipment is needed to connect to the leased line service?
How secure is the leased line service from Zen?
Can I use my existing firewall?
Is it a totally managed solution from Zen?
What Service Level Agreement (SLA) is available on the leased line service?
What level of support is available?
Do I need a backup connectivity solution with a leased line?
Can we save money with a leased line/ethernet line from Zen?
How are Leased Lines and Ethernet priced?
What does bandwidth contention actually mean?
What is a leased line?
A leased line is a permanent, dedicated high performance telecommunications network connection which can carry voice, data and Internet traffic via a copper or fibre optic connection between a customer site and a Zen Point of Presence (POP). Leased lines are also sometimes referred to as a T1 connection/ T1 line, or an E1 connection/E1 line.
What is a lease line?
A 'lease line' is a common industry mis-spelling for leased line, even by some Internet Service Providers. There are many references to 'lease lines' on Web sites, however it is not a different form of dedicated Internet connectivity to a leased line, they are one in the same thing.
Why would I need a leased line?
Leased lines are used by businesses that need high speed reliable Internet access 24 hours a day, seven days a week giving greater peace of mind. They offer dedicated, uncontended bandwidth ensuring that the maximum line speed is always available when required.
What speeds are available with a Leased Line from Zen?
Our leased lines are available in three products, Access, Ethernet, and Private Line. Access is available at speeds of 2Mbps, Ethernet from 2Mbps up to 1Gbps, and Private Line solutions from 64Kbps to 1Gbps.
How long will a leased line service take to install?
It usually takes approximately 35 working days from the date of ordering for circuits up to 2Mbps. For circuits above 2Mbps the lead time is 65 working days from date of order. The timeline will depend upon whether new fibre is required at your premises.
We have fibre at our premises; can this be used for the leased line service?
All quotations assume existing fibre is present and available for use, however, a site survey will still have to be carried out to ascertain whether the correct fibre is present and available for use. This can only be determined following order placement.
Can the leased line service be upgraded?
Yes, but there are some restrictions that need to be considered however. When upgrading from an Access service, a new circuit and CPE may be required. All Ethernet circuits can be upgraded up to the maximum speed of the circuit (10Mbps, 100Mbps, or 1Gbps) subject to increased annual rental charges.
What equipment is needed to connect to the leased line service?
All our Leased Lines and Ethernet services are provided with a fully managed Cisco Router suitable for your service.
How secure is the leased line service from Zen?
A leased line is inherently secure in its own right because it operates as a point to point service. However, if a connection is provided to the Internet additional security services will need to be implemented such as firewalls. We provide a full range of managed security products, more details can be found in the security section.
Can I use my existing firewall?
Yes. Any firewall can be installed behind the CPE to protect the customer network from security breaches; however, Zen will only support Fortinet and WatchGuard devices. For a full Unified Threat Management solution more details can be found in the security section.
Is it a totally managed solution from Zen?
Yes, we offer a fully managed leased line service. This incorporates management of the CPE and monitoring of the leased line circuit. However, we also offer an unmanaged service (wires only) for customers wishing to source and manage their own hardware.
What Service Level Agreement (SLA) is available on the leased line service?
Our Leased Line and Ethernet customers are covered by a 100% SLA. If your service is unavailable at any stage, you are entitled to service credits as compensation.
What level of support is available?
The service is fully supported 24/7 by our BSU team and Network Operations Centre. Any faults reported by customers will receive a response within 1 hour.
Do I need a backup connectivity solution with a leased line?
Leased lines are incredibly reliable, we offer a minimum uptime of 100% which shows confidence in the performance level of all our leased lines.
Nevertheless, we recommend the peace of mind of an additional ADSL line backup solution or resilience through backup leased lines running from diverse POPS for companies who simply can't afford even the slightest risk of downtime.
Can we save money with a leased line/ethernet line from Zen?
You can actually save a considerable amount of money through vast improvements in performance, reliability and uptime, thereby improving organisational efficiency. This can apply from small companies with few users up to large companies with thousands of users.
How are Leased Lines and Ethernet priced?
The costs for leased lines are variable depending on the distance between the customer site and the nearest Internet Point of Presence, and also the amount of bandwidth you require.
Our supplier network currently provides over 100 Points of Presence (POPs) throughout the UK and is set to increase in the near future extending our coverage further.
What does bandwidth contention actually mean?
A 2 Mbps ADSL solution suffers a 1:10 bandwidth contention, this means that if there are 10 people in your area using the same service you will only get your original 2Mbps divided by 10.
With a leased line you get a 100% guaranteed 1:1 bandwidth ratio. This means you do not share a line with anybody else. Your leased line literally runs from your building to our network.
With a leased line, you always have access to 100% of your line capacity - this means that if you purchase a 1Mbps leased line, then 100% of the time, 24x7 you get 1Mbps of bandwidth.
What do I do next?
For further information on Leased Lines and Ethernet, and to request a free consultation with one of our sales team call 0845 058 9000 or fill in the enquiry form.